“I didn't get your name?”
“Oh, sorry, my name is Swain.”
Jaz shook his hand.
He observed her for a moment as if waiting for something, then added, “Nik's brother.”
Jaz's hand froze mid-shake. She let go, her face muscles stiff as she stared at him. “You're Driver's brother?” she asked in a low voice.
“The one and only. So you found out who he was eventually then?”
Jaz frowned at him, unsure of his meaning.
“I thought it kinda childish and frankly unnecessary to hide it from you, I'm sure you could've handled it from the very beginning. You're a tough lady.” He looked her up and down with his seductive eyes. He smiled, sighing. “But he is after all the Pack Leader, and my bro. No one would want to get on his bad side.”
She took a moment to think, walking forward to get her muscles moving again before they cramped up. Too late. Her left calf groaned in protest. She stopped and bent forward, stretching it out. She winced as she fought against the increasing cramp pain.
“May I?” He held out his hands in service and Jaz eyed him uneasily from her bent-over position.
With her neck craned back to look at him, she finally gave him the okay with a look.
“Sit on the ground.”
She paused and then sat.
“Give me your leg.”
She raised her stiff leg, he grasped her foot and with her leg angled up and straight, he bent her toes gently back, stretching the muscle.
Jaz exhaled loudly. “So he really told people to keep it zipped?” she asked through gritted teeth.
“Seems he really didn't want you to know he was paired to your twin sister. Any reason why?”
She squeezed her eyes, fighting the pain, trying to ignore the insinuation in his voice. “Your guess is as good as mine.”
He regarded her with an odd expression; she saw it just as she peeked at him with her squinting eyes. Then he was back to smiling flirtatiously. “Oh, don't tell me you've never suspected he has feelings for you?”
My lord, people here really like to stick their noses in your personal life, she thought. “Nothing's going on between us,” she said coolly.
The cramp had finally fizzled away and Jaz removed her foot from his grip. He stood up straight and held out his hand to help her up. She ignored it and jumped up.
“I meant no offence. It's just what I've seen.”
“For someone who's only met me this one time, you sure seem to suspect a lot about me.”
“So you deny you have any feelings towards him?”
Jaz scoffed, “What are you, the Pack shrink? I'm not going to answer that. I've only just met you.”
Swain gave her a knowing look.
Jaz scowled and then straightened her face, trying to be as polite as she could. “I may have never known my sister, but I'm not the kind of girl to jump into the life -or the bed, if we're gonna quit beating around the bush here- that she had and steal her partner. Even if she wouldn't mind. Even when she's dead. Even if I actually wanted to. It wouldn't feel right.”
Swain grinned. “I don't think she'd mind. And even if she did, how would you know?”
Jaz didn't like how he joked about it, even if he meant nothing by it. She was about to retort back when a sound from about half a mile away -a footfall, a twig snapping- stopped her. Swain heard it too. It came from the south. They listened for a moment.
Jaz jumped out of her skin when she heard a voice a few feet behind them, in the other direction.
“Swain, I didn't think you were a morning jog person,” Driver said. He had a friendly, mocking expression that made the right corner of his lip twitch up slightly. But Jaz saw caution in his eyes, which confused her.
She was surprised how much better she was getting at judging his moods when he was so good at concealing his emotions from his face. Sometimes she didn't even need to concentrate, as if she just sensed it. She frowned at the realization.
Driver's stealth had even taken Swain by surprise Jaz noticed as she found him gawking at his brother.
He quickly recovered however and flashed Driver a smile. “Was just getting acquainted with your secret lady.”
If Swain was completely off the mark on that front, Nik didn't show it. Jaz was a little uneasy by that, but of course, her weak, goo-goo-eyed side felt a flutter of delight. She clenched her jaw and reined the feeling back in its cage.
“Jaz.” Driver focused on her with his dark, unreadable eyes. “I'd like to talk to you if you're free?”
The warm fluttery feeling turned swiftly into an unpleasant, icy sickness in the pit of her stomach.
“She was just doing her run. I wouldn't get in the way of Carr's routine if I were you, Nik.” Swain grinned, glancing at Jaz.
Jaz eyed them both sheepishly.
“We planned it together, I'm sure he won't mind,” Nik responded then he turned to Jaz. “I'll run with you while we talk, if that would be better?”
She hesitated for a moment, not looking forward to the conversation that was inevitably going to happen but then nodded.
“Well, I guess that's my cue to leave.” Swain slapped his hips and exhaled.